Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Jo Cox "was an absolute hero", according to Labour MP Holly Lynch, who was elected in 2015 - the same year as her late colleague.

"She had young children, she had a family and that was a balancing act for Jo, but she made it look so easy," the Halifax MP said.

Ms Lynch said Mrs Cox had "dynamism and clarity", a passion and compassion for her constituents and beyond, but was someone who knew "we won't be here forever" and every opportunity needed to be taken.

Ms Lynch said it was important to take safety concerns "very seriously but not let it stop you from being an effective MP".

"I will never be able to forget what's happened to Jo and it's incredibly sad and you do have to bear in mind the safety of your staff," she added.

BBC Breakfast

Former Labour MP Joan Whalley employed Jo Cox "fresh" from university, she tells BBC Breakfast.

Jo Leadbeater, as Mrs Cox was then, turned up at Parliament wanting to work for an MP "and she chose me", Ms Whalley says.

"She was the most special person," the former MP says, compassionate and "a real live wire" with a commitment to the environment and international development.

"It was always the case that she was going to go on to higher and higher things," Ms Whalley adds.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Jo Cox "was a fantastic mum as well as an amazing politician", former Labour leadership contender Yvette Cooper says.

"She never opted for the easy path," says Ms Cooper, adding that she was the person who walked towards problems.

Speaking to the Today programme, Ms Cooper remembered that Jo Cox thought twice about standing as an MP because of the age of her children.

She often talked about combining the life of an MP with her family life and would text or post if "the kids were ill", while also championing other causes.

But the former shadow home secretary said her abiding image was of Mrs Cox "laughing", eyes sparkling, the host of a party, joking about putting calamine lotion on her child who had chicken pox.

She said the MP's impact was felt during a vigil last night, when people who were strangers hugged her because they had met her just once.

Ms Cooper said MPs would take advice from the police over safety issues, but she warned that "it's so important to be embedded in the community" while making sure staff are properly protected.

BBC Breakfast

Labour MP Stephen Timms, who was stabbed in his constituency surgery in 2010, speaks to BBC Breakfast.

He says police spoke to every MP about security following the attack on him.

"Nobody wants to make visiting your MP an unpleasant experience," Mr Timms says, arguing that could be a danger if security is tightened.

In the case of Jo Cox, he says, "The killing happened outside the constituency surgery so, even if security at the surgery had been perfect, what happened may have happened nevertheless."

BBC Breakfast

"It's a death in the family," says former Labour leader Neil Kinnock.

Lord Kinnock tells BBC Breakfast that Jo Cox "will be remembered as a burning flame of progress".

BBC Breakfast

Labour MP Rachel Reeves, speaking from Birstall in Jo Cox's constituency, says her fellow Labour MP "made such a huge contribution" in the short time she was in Parliament.

Ms Reeves says her own constituency office will be closed today with "safety in mind". Ms Reeves' constituency of Leeds West is near Batley and Spen, which Mrs Cox represented.

She told BBC Breakfast that, until more information about the circumstances of the killing of Mrs Cox was known, it was "right" to protect staff.

Ms Reeves said MPs needed to be part of their communities and to do advice surgeries. She said it was important that the "behaviour of one man" was not allowed to "destroy that link".

The Times

"Police were poised to put extra security in place for Jo Cox when she became the first British MP to be murdered in more than 25 years," reports the Times.

"Mrs Cox, 41, who was shot and stabbed repeatedly by a man who allegedly shouted 'put Britain first', had been harassed in a stream of messages over three months. Additional security was being considered at her constituency surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire, where the attack took place, as well as at her houseboat in London. There is no known link between the messages and yesterday’s attack."

Labour has held the south London constituency of Tooting in a by-election following the departure of new Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Junior doctor Rosena Allin-Khan received 17,894 votes, winning with a majority of 6,357.

She paid tribute to "proud and passionate" Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed in her West Yorkshire constituency on Thursday.

Earlier, a two-minute silence was held during the count in tribute to Mrs Cox.

Conservative candidate Dan Watkins, who came second to Mr Khan at the 2015 general election, received 11,537 votes.

Read more.

The Guardian

"The grieving husband of Jo Cox, the Labour MP shot and stabbed to death, has called on people to fight 'the hatred that killed her' as detectives investigated whether her killing was politically motivated," reports the Guardian., external

The paper also reports, external that Mrs Cox's death overshadowed the Tooting by-election, which was won by Labour's Rosena Allin-Khan.

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Elizabeth Peacock, a former Conservative MP for Jo Cox's constituency of Batley and Spen, pays tribute on the Today programme.

On whether MPs need more security, she says: "You've got to be out and about publicly. You can't always have an entourage."

To be involved in a constituency is important for democracy, she argues. Separating MPs from the public would be a "great blot on our democracy".

The Daily Telegraph

The day's papers lead with the news of the death of Labour MP Jo Cox.

The Telegraph, external describes her as the "the Yorkshire lass who achieved her 'dream' of representing her hometown in Westminster".

The paper's parliamentary sketchwriter, Michael Deacon, writes:, external "Jo Cox was brave. So are most MPs. Let’s show them more respect."

Image source, EPA

Vigils have been held for Labour MP Jo Cox, who died after being shot and stabbed in the street.

Hundreds of people packed into a church in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on Thursday evening, while a vigil was also held outside Parliament.

Mrs Cox's husband said the mother-of-two had fought for "a better world".

Her attacker is reported to have shouted "put Britain first" at least twice. A 52-year-old man, named locally as Tommy Mair, has been arrested.

The attack happened not far from Birstall Library, where Mrs Cox, who was 41, had been holding a constituency surgery on Thursday. She had been the MP for Batley and Spen since last year.

Read more.

Thursday has been dominated by the news of the killing of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was shot and stabbed in her Batley and Spen constituency. A man has been arrested by police.

• Prime Minister David Cameron was among those paying tribute to the mother-of-two, saying she was a "bright star".
• Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn described her as a "much-loved colleague". He attended an evening vigil with other MPs in Parliament Square
• Mrs Cox's husband Brendan said she would want people to fight against the hatred that killed her."  
• After her death, both official EU referendum campaigns suspended their operations as a mark of respect
• A two-minute silence was planned at the count for the Tooting by-election
• The Bank of England warned that uncertainty about the EU referendum was the facing global financial markets
• In return, senior Conservatives accused the Bank of England and the Treasury of peddling phoney forecasts to scare people into staying in the EU

Figures from many political strands have united in their tributes to Jo Cox.

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond described news of her death as "absolutely devastating... One of the brightest and best of the new MPs and a great loss to the country." 

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said the attack was a savage and devastating one. 

Ms Dugdale added: "Jo was an extraordinary woman. She devoted her life to helping people in the darkest places in our world." 

Former prime minister Gordon Brown said Mrs Cox was "the most vivacious, personable, dynamic and committed friend you could ever have". 

And former Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "My heart breaks for the loss of Jo Cox and for Brendan and their kids. She was so full of life and joy. Words feel hopeless right now."

Listen to BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale describe the shock in Westminster as news spread about Jo Cox's death.

The Daily Telegraph

Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell has described his "fearless friend" Jo Cox as "a five-foot bundle of Yorkshire grit and determination absolutely committed to helping other people" in a tribute in The Telegraph, external.

Image source, AFP/Getty

Flags across Whitehall have been lowered to half mast following the killing of MP Jo Cox. David Cameron is among those paying tribute to her: